Natural disaster risk in Rowan County, Kentucky
Kentucky · population 24,652 · FIPS 21205
Overall: relatively low risk
Rowan County has a composite risk score of 47.9 out of 100 — higher than 47% of US counties. It ranks 48 of 120 in Kentucky (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, winter weather, strong wind.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 21.17% of Rowan County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 2 weeks in a row.
Drought in Rowan County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 47.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $12.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 45.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 61.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 50.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Rowan County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 54 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 82 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 67 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 51 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 41 |
| Hail | Relatively low 39 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 37 |
| Wildfire | Very low 46 |
| Earthquake | Very low 45 |
| Hurricane | Very low 45 |
| Cold wave | Very low 23 |
| Drought | Very low 17 |
| Avalanche | Very low 15 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Rowan County
Federal declarations that designated Rowan County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Rowan County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3633-KY (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3633-KY | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| EM-3626-KY | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 3 Apr 2025 | No |
| EM-3624-KY | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | 16 Feb 2025 | No |
| DR-4848-KY | Major disaster | Remnants of Hurricane Helene | 26 Nov 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Kentucky, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Rowan County, Kentucky?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Rowan County as relatively low, with a score of 47.9 out of 100 (higher than 47% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Rowan County?
The hazards rated highest for Rowan County are lightning (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate), strong wind (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Rowan County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Rowan County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Rowan County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Rowan County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3633-KY (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Rowan County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 21.17% of Rowan County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 2 weeks in a row.
Every county in Kentucky, ranked · All states · Disasters near me